Psychological Care Of The Medically Ill

Manual of Psychiatric Care for the Medically Ill delivers a practical approach to accurate psychiatric diagnosis and treatment in the medical-surgical setting. The editors have updated the literature reviews of their widely used 1996 American Psychiatric Publishing publication A Case Approach to Medical-Psychiatric Practice and have added easy-to-use summaries, Web resources, checklists, flowcharts, and worksheets-all designed to facilitate and teach the process of psychiatric consultation. The appended study guide makes this book even more valuable as an educational tool. Intended as a companion guide to comprehensive textbooks in psychosomatic medicine, this concise volume combines medication updates with "how-to" strategies for the psychiatric treatment of patients with cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, and pulmonary disease; gastrointestinal symptoms; delirium; HIV; hepatitis C; steroid-induced psychiatric syndromes; and organ transplantation. A special feature is the comprehensive chapter on the treatment of psychiatric illness in pregnancy. Each chapter summarizes the literature, emphasizing diagnostic and treatment considerations for patients with psychiatric symptoms and medical illnesses. Representing the work of 24 contributors, this useful, highly informative volume features Checklists, flowcharts, and worksheets that can be photocopied and brought to the patient's bedside for use during the clinical consultation. These templates help focus the information-gathering process, organize the data, and generate important documentation. Standardized assessment instruments and questionnaires, such as the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98, and HIV Dementia Scale, which assist in consultation and evaluation. Summaries and charts of differential diagnoses to assist psychiatric consultation to medical patients, including Web addresses to access the latest information on a particular condition or treatment. A study guide in case-question-answer format for selected chapters. This volume also includes a "how-to" chapter on assessing decisional capacity, complete with a worksheet for gathering information and documenting informed consent. It also features practical reviews of psychotherapeutic issues, such as a primer for what to do when patients ask about spiritual issues. Concluding chapters present short, practical guides on addressing general psychological issues occurring in medical patients. This proven manual -- already being used to teach residents the core curriculum in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and On-Call Preparedness at Bellevue Hospital in New York City -- will be welcomed by general psychiatrists, consultation-liaison and psychosomatic medicine fellows, residents, and medical students everywhere.

This practical guide will enable hospital clinicians to identify patients with significant psychological problems and to distinguish between those who need to be referred for specialist treatment and assessment and those who can treat themselves.

The intent of this book is to examine the psychological and social worlds of physically ill patients-an area that particularly needs attention today, since the great advances in medical science have caused many to minimize pa tients' emotional concerns. However, the pendulum has begun to swing back to the interrelationship of body and mind. Quality of life is again becoming a critical consideration in treatment. In writing the book I have drawn upon my own clinical experiences as a psychologist working with the physically ill. I have also drawn upon studies of the psychological factors in medical illness, and I was pleased to find a growing body of research. Although the book is primarily directed to psy chotherapists, it will benefit anyone involved in the care of those with medical problems, such as family and friends, as well as medical professionals. vii Acknowledgments I would particularly like to thank Redjeb Jordania for his endless patience, support, and encouragement from the very beginning of this project, and for his valuable suggestions and editorial comments along the way.

* Is the psychological care of patients neglected in hospitals and health centres? * What is the impact of this neglect? * What type of psychological care is needed and how should it be organized? In this new guide, Keith Nichols examines the importance of psychological care for ill and injured people. The book gives practical advice to develop health professionals' personal clinical practice by providing a guide to the organization of psychological care and 'coaching' in the essential skills. Written in a tutorial style with an emphasis on clinical observation and case material that illustrates the psychological needs of patients and their partners, the book demonstrates that the neglect of psychological care for the ill and injured can undermine progress in treatment and recovery and increase medical costs. The need for urgent improvement is stressed. This book is an essential tool for all health care professionals who have regular patient contact, including nurses, doctors, the therapy professions and clinical health psychologists.

The Psychology of Illness: In Sickness and In Health serves as a guide for therapists working with chronically ill patients. It weaves together theory, clinical experience, case examples, and up-to-date research. The book's flexible approach involves several modalities, including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, pharmacological, and family treatments. This book teaches that therapists can help patients cope not only with the illness, but also with the complex relationships they will have with their physicians and the medical establishment. Dr. Druss's unique book is divided into two sections. The first section, "Sickness," focuses on the subjective experience of being chronically ill. The second, "Health," is concerned with health and the quality of life. This book includes such topics as "healthy denial" and programs for staying healthy, such as exercise.